Whether it’s a bad habit or a symptom of some low-level OCD, I can’t help it – I’ve always doodled, especially in meetings. And while some people have taken offense, the fact remains that the act of sketching helps me process what’s being said (and at times, keeps me from shouting “Would you please get to the point so we can all go home”). The downside, of course, is all the paper I waste doing this. It’s hell on your “I’m environmentally friendly” smugness.
Now, Canadian engineering academic Frank Bouchard has tackled this little dilemma with an invention he calls Wipebook. This spiral-bound notebook is made up of 25 pages (5o sides) that act like a portable wipeboard. Doodle to your heart’s content, and all of those drawings and notes you make stay intact in your notebook until you decide it’s time to erase them. And when you erase them, they disappear completely rather than leaving ghosts of themselves on your pages the way erased pencil marks do.
Funded by a Kickstarter campaign – which, at this point, I think we can safely say is the only way startups are funded anymore – the Wipebook is a dream paper that has uses that go far beyond doodling.
Right away it’s obvious that this makes the perfect portable planner. Map out your week, ink in your appointments and, if they change, just erase them and put them in at their new time. Brainstorming sessions, pre-notes for your next meeting – the possibilities are endless.
The costs are reasonable, about $25 for the lined version, $30 for the grid or blank version. You can get yours either through the Kickstarter page (for the next 11 days) or, presumably at a later date, through the Wipebook’s main website.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AFV3VOrCaAs]
